Berechtigen

Berechtigen is a German verb meaning to authorize or to entitle someone to do something, or to confer a right or permission. The related noun forms are Berechtigung (authorization, entitlement) and Berechtigter (the person who is authorized). The term is built from be- plus Recht (right, law) and traces back to Middle High German; it is closely related to the English verbs to entitle or to authorize.

In legal, administrative, and organizational contexts, berechtigen describes the act of granting rights or permissions and of designating someone as eligible to act or receive something. Examples include: “Der Vertrag berechtigt den Käufer zur Rückgabe innerhalb von 14 Tagen” (The contract entitles the buyer to return within 14 days) and “Die Behörde berechtigt den Antragsteller zur Einreise.” The adjective berechtigt means entitled or justified, as in “berechtigt zu handeln” (entitled to act) or “berechtigt zu stimmen” (entitled to vote).

In information technology and security contexts, Berechtigungen refer to permissions that control access to resources. Access-control systems use Berechtigungen, Rollen (RBAC), and entitlement-management processes to vergeben oder entziehen Rechte an Benutzerkonten. This usage emphasizes the operational management of who may access what within a system, following principles such as least privilege.

Related terms include Berechtigung, Berechtigter, Zugriffsrechte, Berechtigungen, and Zugriffssteuerung. In summary, berechtigen encompasses both the act of granting rights and the state of being authorized, with broad application in law, administration, and IT.